Team

The CoordinatorsOne IRSP research is conducted by about four students. There are two people who coordinate them. Firstly, there is a Professor of the IRIO-department who watches over the academic quality of the research. As a researcher you will meet them on regular basis. Secondly, there is a representative of the IRSP Committee who is in contact with the respective partner and who controls that the partner’s wishes are met. Here you can see who will coordinate what research.Dr. Nienke de Deugd (first picture) is the University’s coordinator for this research. Dr. De Deugd is a senior lecturer at the RUG. Also, she is a member of the Advisory Board of Clio and of the Dutch Association for International Affairs.Liesa de Haan (second picture) is the coordinator from the IRSP committee. Liesa is a third-year student with a great interest in NGO's and human rights.The researchers of this research are Machteld van Dijk, Karin Larson, Saskia Postema and Céline Martens

The Researchers

Karin LarsonAge: 25 Degree programme : Research MA Modern History & International Relations

Why did you participate in the IRSP?I wanted to gain more practical research experience and familiarize myself further with the NGO sector.

What have you learnt from the IRSP?The value of good organization and communication skills.

What is the most interesting/funny/nice thing you encountered during the research process?Working together as a team and getting to know the girls in my research group has been the nicest thing about the research process as a whole.

What did you find most difficult in the process?Negotiating a very busy schedule with IRSP research tasks, course assignments and work commitments.

Why did you participate in the IRSP?To complement my study with more practical, yet explicitly orientated experience in the realm of NGOs/development, advocacy and diplomacy. In addition, in this way, I could orientate a little whether a NGO would be a place where I would like to do an internship.

What have you learnt from the IRSP?During the IRSP, conducting interviews taught me a lot about the importance of CHOICE as an NGO, how organizations are working together, and what a challenge it is to capture advocacy in a quantitative way. Moreover, being innovative and creative are integral parts of our development of a PME framework. It teaches us to think outside the box.

What is the most interesting/funny/nice thing you encountered during the research process?That would be the funny moments with my research group when we are working on the project the whole day together, especiallly when Karin brings some home-made cookies. But also our fieldtrip, visiting the national partners of CHOICE, was so much fun! Céline, Karin and Saskia have a great sense of humour!

What did you find most difficult in the process?Since it was more useful for the research to work together than individually, it was sometimes difficult to find the time to meet. However, I think we learn a lot from each other, so it is a good thing that we see each other that often. In addition, I already thought that measuring advocacy is quite a challenge, but now I know for sure.

Why did you participate in the IRSP? I applied for IRSP because I wanted to gain more practical experience and deepen my understanding of how IRIO can be used for research. IRSP is a great opportunity to come into contact with important actors in the field and to see how their work relates to the subjects we study. Moreover, IRSP is unique in the sense that it thus is able to connect the academic and more practical side of the working field.

What have you learnt from the IRSP? I have gained a lot of research experience, both by learning how to use specific methods e.g. interviews, but also with regards to more practical skills such as teamwork and communication with third parties.

What is the most interesting/funny/nice thing you encountered during the research process? What I found very interesting of our research is that we're doing our research for a youth-led organisations and to see how appreciated they are by other stakeholders. I loved the opportunity it gave us to come into contact with their variosu partners and especially how much they seemed to value not only CHOICE, but also the research we're conducting for them.

What did you find most difficult in the process? Because we're researching the impact of advocacy, we had to develop indicators for that process. Although developing and conceptualising these indicators was very hard to do, I also thought it was a really interesting experience. However, it took a lot of time and sometimes it was difficult to combine all of our own busy agendas with the amount of effort we had to put into IRSP.

Céline MartensAge: 22Degree programme: Bachelor IRIO

Why did you participate in the IRSP?I am a fourth year student, which made me realize I want to do something extra and next to my studies where I can gain more practical experience by working together with a group and deliveringa good research.

What have you learnt from the IRSP? It has been a nice experience to learn how to communicate with 3 other researchers and take into account eachothers views and perspectives.

What is the most interesting/funny/nice thing you encountered during the research process? I have had a lot of fun with my research group, 3 other girls. During our writing and meeting sessions, there was always a lot of laughter, everyone really got along with eachother. Even when things were not always going according to plan, we were never in a bad mood and continued to motivate and stimulate eachoter and make this whole experience a fun one.

What did you find most difficult in the process? To deliver up to the expected and schedule meetings with your entire group since everybody is busy and has different schedules.